Tim Kennedy dusting off trashtalking skills in hopes of securing new opponent

When UFC middleweight contender Tim Kennedy (16-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) woke up on Friday morning, he had his mind set on fighting Lyoto Machida (19-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC). Now he’s just hoping to fight anyone who will step in the cage.

Kennedy and Machida were expected to meet in the headlining bout of November’s “UFC Fight Night 31: UFC Fight for the Troops 3″ event. However, British slugger Michael Bisping (24-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) is currently dealing with lingering eye issues after undergoing surgery to repair a detached retina and was forced to withdraw from a planned UFC Fight Night 31 bout with Mark Munoz.

Machida was tapped as a replacement for Bisping, leaving Kennedy without a foe for the Nov. 6 event at Kentucky’s Fort Campbell. While UFC matchmakers are currently seeking a replacement opponent, Kennedy took things into his own hands.

Dear @ufc middleweights, I have lost another opponent. Would someone please step up & fight me at Fight For The Troops 3. Pretty please! TK

A total of 26 fighters got their chance to shine on Saturday as part of UFC 190 at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. Now that UFC 190 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

The man known for cranking submissions to the point of injury added eye-gouging to his repertoire. But is the controversy of Rousimar Palhares too essential to his bizarre, awful appeal for his employers to take any meaningful action against him?